stubborn1VT

We have a whole lot less deer in VT. I already read the article, and I know it worked here. I don't happen to agree with the reasoning in the article you posted. I don't believe that protecting young bucks in areas with high deer density is the answer. I also don't believe in cramming new regulation down hunter's throats. Regulations like AR are strictly about politics, not biology.

You sure drank the Kool-Aide. You can read the article as valid science, or as a justification for ARs. Do you think the NY deer herd is that broken and unhealthy? Does the health and future of the herd really depend on protecting younger bucks? I truly believe there are more factors involved than that. One could also view the 105 years as history and tradition.

Guy in town bought a brand new 50HP Kioti last spring. He bought it for brush-hogging, but he had tons of trouble with the transmission and it spent most of the summer at the dealership. They stood behind it, but it what a hassle. I'm not saying that Kioti is a bad brand, just passing along an issue I heard about. I know the issues were legit, because he had contracts to do brush-hogging for the town and they didn't get done on time.

You can certainly hunt to offset grocery costs. Once you own the basic tools for hunting it really doesn't have to be that expensive. Last rifle season I hunted on family land, bought my license, and fired one bullet. Pretty cheap. If you had to buy 40-60 lbs of organic beef it would cost you plenty. I don't see anything stupid about hunting to feed your family. Maybe you're just doing it wrong.

I bought a used L3000, and love it. I've heard the L series called "the Toyota Tacoma of tractors", meaning they're workhorses, reliable and last for years. Used mine to brush-hog, grade my driveway, plow snow, rototill, move stone, skid logs, and pull my dump trailer. It's easy to use, good on fuel, and the right size for what I need. Can't see how you could go wrong with a Kubota, especially the older ones. I don't have any experience with any of the models with hydrostatic transmissions, but mine will run most 5-6 foot implements. I'll be adding a set of spring or disc harrows to my fleet this year, and possibly a 3pt hitch wood chipper.

Happy Birthday and good hunting to you Pygmy!

Nice looking plot Let Em Grow! That's good information. Were these food plots in the past, or were you able to plant a brand new plot with this method? I would expect this would work with soybeans if broadcasted at a high enough rate. They will germinate on top of the soil. The layer of mulch would help alot by holding moisture and hiding them from birds. Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.

I like the edit more than the original post. I've studied language too long. Sometimes people's tone gets on my nerves. I realize that shots that long aren't common. I'm just across the lake. The original question was what people thought of a light weight .280. We do tend to wander from topic to topic. I agree you can shoot big woods with an open sight 30-30, or just about anything else...

Nice of you to be so open minded and positive! Why not a carry a rifle that WILL shoot 300yds?

Thanks folks. Yup. That is a genuine Easton 2117. I never found a good enough reason to change. They quit carrying aluminum at the bow shop I used to use, so I found another shop. If shooting fingers and aluminum is good enough for Chuck Adams, it's good enough for me.

A chain drag might be a good match for your Brute Force. As others have suggested, the first year is the toughest. It's important to get something planted, and go from there. I have used brassicas to break up dense clay soil. They didn't grow like crazy that first year, but they did alot of tilling for me when the roots grew down into the hard pack. They added organic matter as well. Bill Winke's web show, Midwest Whitetail has some videos on what he calls "poor man plots". He has developed a system for clearing and planting small plots in hidden areas. He uses herbicide and fire to clear areas. (I imagine he makes good use of free labor from his interns too) After that they rough up the ground with landscape rakes. Broadcast seed and wait for rain. Just some ideas for you. You will have to pick a strategy that works for you. Good luck!

I had a guy I know clean my 2016 bow buck skull with beetles. It's my first Euro mount, and I wanted it done right, so I didn't just boil it myself. My FIL gave me piece of barn board he had kicking around. I was really pleased with the way it is weathered. My buddy who just started a small taxidermy shop mounted it up, and I hot glued the arrow and brass. There are bigger bucks out there, but I am psyched with my 2016 results. It's a season I won't forget any time soon!

Padre and Buckmaster make good points. My vote would be for the 7mm-08 because of the relatively light recoil. It will do anything you need it to do in a hunting situation. It has become increasingly popular, so ammo is available. I would shoot one if I didn't already own a 7mm Rem Mag.

I would think about a similar sized set of disk harrows. I have used anything from an 18" walk-behind rototiller to a 10' set of farm discs. The benefit to discs is they will ride over rocks and roots and they have few working parts. They won't break as easily as a tiller, and they are cheaper to fix if they do. You can break ground with just about anything, including a steel rake. It's just a matter of how much you want to spend, and how hard you want to work. Overall, I recommend a small set of disc harrows.

No finches, Doc? Over the last few years I've been over-run with goldfinches and redbills. Otherwise, I have the same list as you. Well, mostly. Add bluejays and minus the deer.

Guess that gives new meaning to a "rub line"!

The ground in the picture was prepped. I imagine it shows what the spring harrows did to an area with a thin cover crop on it. The photo isn't totally staged, but the ground has already been worked up, probably with bigger equipment, reseeded and then "tilled" up with the light duty harrows.

I wouldn't think that varying and changing weather conditions would become redundant. I just plowed 16" with the Kubota. The snow isn't very heavy, and it pushed pretty well. It's still coming down, but luckily we haven't got the wind they forecasted. Yet...

When I ordered some small burnet seed from Nature's Seed the other day, I came across a hybrid pearl millet that's supposed to get 6' to 10' tall. I ordered a little bit to try for a screen along the edge of a new section of food plot. It was less than $4/lb with free shipping. I'm sure the birds will like it. I'm hoping it makes the deer feel more secure. At the very least, it's something new.

Hard to determine a snow total because of the drifting. My guess is 16" here in the Champlain Valley. We did our shoveling. I will fire up the Kubota in a bit and plow. I was liking the idea of an early Spring.

Big Brother is out there. And he's watching...

Those are pretty sharp. Glad you added pics with mounts to show scale. I'm not in the market, but they look great. Good luck!

It's a fact that a rifle is a tool, at a minimum. It can be more than that to the individual, but I don't see how it can be considered more than that overall. Any other characteristic, beyond its function, is just window dressing.

If you want to spend the $$ to shoot targets, by all means get the 257wby. For whitetail deer hunting anywhere around here, the 25-06 will do the same job. I wouldn't take either one out West. The 257wby is great, but it's not ultra special or magic. Just like a Weatherby owner to get all haired out about the comparison. I get the concept of a collectible and high end craftmanship, but a rifle is just a tool to get a job done.

Red cedar is preferred winter browse where I come from.